Firkin stood at the side of the room mentally cursing himself. He'd investigated Hillyard, yes, but he'd never even considered Durand when he'd listed the men that knew who he was and who had complete access to everything about the court. He'd never even considered investigating the man, but that look between the two men when he'd brought Sylvie into the room had slayed him. His mind wandered back to the meeting they'd had earlier.

“You keep saying the real Traitor, are you afraid of telling me that it's my father, Firkin?”

Firkin's head jerked up and he stared at Sylvie. “How...?”

“I got a letter from him when I was sixteen. Somehow he knew I was a mage and that I would need my powers locked for a betrothal. I hadn't been officially tested for power, and none of the mages that came should have been able to sense me because of the lack of magic in my home-lands. Then, for 14 years, I'm right beside him and he doesn't so much as twitch in acknowledgment until Hana Menin stuck her nose in and told him about me.”

Quinton leaned forward. “He wasn't surprised at all, was he?”

“Not from what Hana said in the mage-message I got from her after I met with him. She said he stared at her for a moment, thanked her for 'putting his head on right', and left. She didn't tell him that I was here at the Timeos order, and he didn't ask.”

Harken lifted his head. “He showed up here?”

“And asked for her after assuring me he would not be notifying the King of anything about her.” Loren interjected.

Firkin swallowed. “Yes, I can see where you would suspect him.”

Sylvie shook her head. “Not only that, but I doubt you found his private library in your investigations.”

“He didn't have one.” Firkin was positive of that. He'd been through everything in Hillyard's life.

“Oh he did, you just didn't see it. Mage-tattoos store a lot of information.”

Firkin shook his head and brought it back to the present. Sylvie had just dropped her statement into the middle of court. He, Harken, and Quinton were not surprised. Firkin noted some other faces that were not shocked either. They included the King, Prince Alex, Count Willems aka Prince Willeck, and Dragon Lord Guialt.

“I should have killed you when I had the chance.” Lord Hillyard's voice was calm, but his eyes were blazing when he looked at his daughter.

Sylvie's back went straight and her eyes turned flinty. “You lost that chance the day you killed my mother and left me alive.”

There were gasps in the court, though Hillyard didn't flinch. When a mage's power woke early, and age four was very early, it was usually due to some incident in the mage's past where their emotions had been very heightened. Sylvie was lucky her power had woken up in the South where there hadn't been the power of the land to feed into the issue.

Hillyard suddenly let loose a mage-blast. Firkin was a minor mage, and he had to blink to clear his eyes. His head rung. He hated to think what it had done to Sylvie. He looked over at her, and was stunned to see her standing without a wince right where she had been. Firkin raised his shields rapidly as Hillyard let loose another mage-blast. This time, Firkin saw it hit and slide off of the shield in front of Sylvie.

Behind Hillyard, Durand started to edge towards the exit. Harken stepped forward and laid one hand on Durand's shoulder. Durand's eyes widened, he paled, and stilled with a defeated droop to his shoulders. Quinton stepped up to the King, to get him behind his guard, and a wave of the King's hand stopped him in his tracks.

Hillyard did a lightening spell that Sylvie deflected. The spell nearly hit the King before Sylvie stepped in front of it and let it fizzle out on her shields. She was so focused on the fight, Firkin doubted that she even realized who it was that she'd just saved. That doubt was canceled a moment later when Sylvie turned, pushed the King behind his Guard, and let another mage-spell hit her. It made its way through where the lightening had struck before. Sylvie arched in pain, took a few steps back, and shouted.

“Enough!” She launched a very precise mage-blast at Hillyard. Firkin gaped as the blast lanced through Hillyard's shield and knocked him down. Then a white light filled the courtyard.

When it cleared, Dragon Lord Guialt was in his dragon form. He had one large foot on Hillyard's chest. His claws were extended to the point where if Hillyard moved a muscle, he'd be severely injured. Ex-Captain Willems was standing in front of the King. Harken and Quinton both were holding on to Lord Healer Durand, and somehow Firkin ended up holding Sylvie.

While Sylvie recovered herself, the King went back to his throne and sat. He kept looking at her, at her father, and at Durand. His face twisted. “I take it that was a more dramatic showing of your innocence than you intended, Sylvie?”

Quinton, Harken, and Firkin looked at each other and shrugged. Their plan was completely off the rails now. They had to rely on Sylvie. Firkin looked down at the woman leaning up against him and allowed a slight smile to grace his lips.

Sylvie shook her head and straightened up. “Rather, though I was supposed to be the bait, we'd planned on them waiting until my death on Traitor Hill. I had forgotten that my father and I share the same temper, as anyone who has sat through an argument between him and High Priest Loren can attest.”

“Did he kill your mother, Lady Erin?”

Sylvie sighed. “Yes, I was four when it happened. My mage-senses were already there in a basic fashion, as with any child. I was rooms away, but my senses showed me what kind of mage the person was and how he felt to my gift. I felt mother die. Then, he stopped outside of my room and waited. I was terrified and started screaming. My mage gifts awakened and I blacked out. When I woke up, the person who had killed my mother was gone, and I'd never be the same again. I'm sure you can guess the rest.”

“You didn't sense the person who had killed your mother until you came to the Capital, and then you could only sense them when they did a spell-casting based in Darkness. You had to gather allies and power in order to find the person, but he knew who you were and tried to sacrifice you five years ago.”

“Yes, and he made sure you named me a Traitor before that so that what he did to me would seem to be a blow back from him breaking the Darkening spell. Unfortunately for him, I broke the Darkening spell and he's the one that got hit with the feedback. A friend who knew I was innocent rescued me and got me out of the Capitol and on my way to healing. My guess is he brought Durand in when he realized that his mage-powers would never recover without being Restored. Together, they made the most recent plague. However, they couldn't have suspicion fall on them, and Durand received the cure in front of enough people that they had to distribute it.”

“A cure which you made.”

“Yes.”

“What are you, the Guardian of the Golden Guard?”

Quinton and Harken burst out laughing and Firkin coughed to hide his amusement. Sylvie grinned. “If I am, there's three other people here that count in that group. Harken, Quinton, Firkin, and I have all worked to keep the Golden Guard and our country safe for about 14 years now. They'd count as fellow Guardians.”

By the time she was done talking, Quinton, Harken, and Firkin were glaring at her, and the King was grinning. “Guardians of the Golden Guard. I like it. You, Sylvie, are not a Traitor, and I rescind your death sentence. I re-instate you as a Grand Mage, and restore your rank of Sergeant in the Golden Guard. If you wish, you can rejoin the Golden Guard and be a part of my forces, but I need you to answer a question first.”

“Yes, your Majesty?”

“How long have you been blind?”

Sylvie tilted her head a little. “Since you sent us after that rogue dragon in the Honeycomb some ten or twelve years ago, Majesty. At the time Lord Durand was not part of Hillyard's attempt at a coup. He taught me how to use my mage-senses to see, since I'd had to ground the dragon's mage-blast in myself and my eyes could not be Restored. I use a vision spell when I need to truly see something.” Her voice was stumbling by the last sentence, and she swayed slightly.

The King waved a hand. “Firkin, take Sylvie to her old room at the Golden Guard's headquarters. I think its still empty, and she needs rest.”

Firkin nodded and stepped up. Sylvie grabbed his arm for support, obviously wrung out from everything that had happened. “One more thing, your Majesty.” Her voice was a little more awake.

“Yes?”

“Captain Guialt and Ex-Captain Willems are correct. The Golden Guard is rather over-full of qualified people. There needs to be a solution to that, perhaps set up training schools across the lands. Let the spies train their own friends and people and not have to feel so split in loyalty. Gain power and leverage through the friendships and information you can get from those schools. Also, set up places so that children like me have a place to go.”

The King nodded. “That, Lady Goldenbough, can be done.” He waved in dismissal.

Firkin ended up carrying Sylvie through the halls as she dozed on his shoulder. By the time he reached her old room, the maids had come. There were fresh sheets on the bed, and a cheerful fire glowed in the fireplace. He peeled off her shoes and tucked her in the bed, then quietly shut the door after himself.

He quickly walked to his old room. He slipped in the door, smiling. He barely registered that his lanterns were out, and felt a sword at his throat. The last thing he heard was a voice saying “Mage-King Jaralt is rather displeased with your performance lately.”